Spengler to Test BMW at Calafat

BMW DTM driver Bruno Spengler will test the new BMW iFE.18 Formula E car at the group manufacturer test in Spain next week.

It will be the second time that Spengler has driven an ABB FIA Formula E Championship car after he sampled the current Andretti ATEC-03 model at the Marrakesh Rookie Test in January.

The test, which will be held at the Calafat circuit, will take place next Tuesday and Thursday with Spengler pencilled in for both days’ running according to BMW Motorsport boss Jen Marquardt.

“Bruno will test next week for us,” said Marquardt told e-racing365.

“We have already had Bruno and Alex Sims in the car, so we are in a lucky position that we have a lot of skilled and good drivers. Some of them already have experience in Formula E.

“For sure at some stage Tom [Blomqvist] and Antonio [Felix da Costa] will be involved as well but there is a lot of testing we are looking into o and for those guys I think the focus is on this year is biased on the racing side of things, so we will definitely use some of our other drivers.”

Spengler told e-racing365 at Marrakesh in January that he would be interested in racing in Formula E in the future if the opportunity presented itself.

““I am impressed because in the races there are a lot of things happening,” said the Canadian.

“You have overtaking, cars touching, it is interesting racing, it looks like it is fun racing.

“When I talk to my [DTM] teammates and competitors they also say it is exciting to race there, so for sure I would like to have a taste of racing in Formula E as it is very attractive when you watch it from the outside as a driver.

“I am attracted to it because it is different, it is new and because the show is so good.”

The running at Calafat next week will be the first time that BMW has run with other teams after it encountered what Marquardt described as “an electrical system” problem at the previous test at Monteblanco last month.

Sam Smith is e-racing365's Formula E Editor. A 20-year veteran in motorsports media, including press officer roles in both the FIA Sportscar Championship and at Lola Group, Smith is a well-known face in the Formula E paddock, where he served as series editor for Motorsport.com from 2014-17. Contact Sam